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Locusts Continue to Invade Israel

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Millions of the grasshopper-like insects swarmed Israel’s southern neighbor, damaging crops. Some have since made their way to southern Israel. Flash 90 Photo

JERUSALEM — A third swarm of thousands of locusts crossed into Israel from Egypt on Monday.

Four crop-dusting planes sprayed the area of the Ramat HaNegev Regional Council, home to many farming communities, where the insects have invaded.

The swarm of about 30 million locusts first appeared near Cairo on March 2 and caused millions of dollars worth of crop damage in Egypt.

The locust attack comes in the weeks before the start of Passover, which recalls a destructive plague of locusts that the Bible says was sent by God to help free the Jewish slaves.

On Sunday, the Regional Council in southern Israel sent a letter to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, requesting permission for Israeli crop-dusters to fly over the Sinai region in an effort to combat the swarms of locusts, the Times of Israel reported. Shmulik Ripman, the head of the council, said he also turned to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asking him to advance cooperation between the two countries on the issue.